Using varietal diversity as a lever for adapting to climate change while preserving Bordeaux wine typicity

Abstract

Climate change is profoundly affecting wine production globally. Increasing temperatures induce advanced phenology, shifting the ripening period to a warmer part of the summer. Modified climatic conditions during grape ripening alter grape composition and induce changes in wine typicity. Increased drought reduces yield, while its effect on wine quality can be sometimes positive and sometimes negative. In order to continue to produce high quality wines with a typicity that matches consumer’s demand, winegrowers need to adapt. One major lever for adaptation is changing grape varieties to more heat and drought tolerant cultivars. However, this raises questions about maintaining wine typicity in regions with protected origin. This research addresses this issue for the Bordeaux wine production area with a multi trait approach, investigating phenology, drought resistance, aromatic composition and sensory analyses of the wines produced from candidate cultivars to complement the Bordeaux varietal mix for increased resilience to climate change.

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